Not every student can say they dance in their service-learning course.
Fuad Elhage, a senior lecturer of Spanish in Franklin College’s Romance languages department, has taught Diversity Through Dance since 2010. The course allows students to spend each class period connecting to the Spanish language and culture through music and dance.
However, for two semesters, the course has been adapted to integrate a service-learning component, giving students the chance to expand their participation beyond the music. Service-learning courses are offered across the university through a partnership with the Office of Service-Learning to enhance learning through the application of academic skills to address a community-identified need.
“I want my students to serve the community,” Elhage said. “So, we’re dancing with the older adults at the Athens Community Council on Aging.”
Once a month, Elhage and his students take their class on the road, partnering with the Athens Community Council on Aging to teach salsa, bachata and merengue to the members. The ACCA is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting wellness through engagement, advocacy, education and support. For more than 50 years, the organization has provided services and community to support older adults in Athens and surrounding communities.
Elhage leads a dance lesson at the Athens Community Council on Aging. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)
“These classes have been one of the most well attended, most popular and most heartwarming classes that we have hosted in my two and a half years of working here,” said Autumn Barefoot, program manager of the ACCA’s Center for Active Living.
The idea began while Elhage was completing his dissertation in language and literacy education. Drawing from his own experiences using dance to connect with others from different backgrounds and cultures, he conducted research on the ways that dance can be utilized for prejudice reduction and second language acquisition.
With the knowledge gained during this process, he created a cultural unit for middle schoolers, which became foundational for his dissertation.
“My goal was to help my Latino students take pride in their culture while also fostering connections between students from different backgrounds — white, Black and Latino,” Elhage said. “Through a shared performance for the school’s Cinco de Mayo celebration, the sixth and eighth graders worked together toward a common purpose, breaking down cultural barriers and creating a sense of unity.”
Now, Elhage seeks to bring this same spirit to his students through this service-learning course. Diversity Through Dance requires students to be active learners, teachers, performers and audience members with a series of classes and activities.
Along with weekly classes on campus, students take part in events such as dance fairs, showcases and lessons at the ACCA. The collaboration with the ACCA has been a valuable and fulfilling experience for all participants.
Undergraduate student Adam Nault and community member Heather Reed participate in a dance lesson. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)
“Dancing is a wonderful exercise. Anyone can do it. You just have to have a heart for it,” said Heather Reed, a member of the ACCA and former administrative specialist in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “And, of course, it keeps us moving.”
The class draws high numbers of ACCA members to the dance floor, attracting students with varying levels of dance experience and members of the partnering Dementia Resource Center. Along with exercise and good music, the class provides attendees with a strong sense of community.
“We’re not only offering those services that are very much needed for older adults,” Barefoot said, “but we’re also here for that social connection and to keep people independent and active.”
Elhage’s Spanish students are glad to have a way to experience the culture in a unique way outside the classroom. Adam Nault, a junior studying finance and international business in the Terry College of Business, credits the course with helping him discover a new passion in life.
“While my whole family are dancers, I never was a dancer. Dancing in this class and with the ACCA kind of broke down my own barriers,” Nault said. “It feels really good to come out and help people. This helped me realize that something like this is definitely something I want to do after I graduate.”
On April 23, the class performed in the semester’s grand finale, Milonga Tropical, where they danced alongside other performers in the community to showcase all that they’ve learned throughout the course. The free cultural event, held at Hotel Indigo, was organized by Elhage and his tango dance partner, Stephanie Lynn, to provide accessible cultural experiences to the Athens community.
“My students are building connections with their peers, the faculty and the community through all of these events,” Elhage said. “I want my students to walk away feeling comfortable interacting with people across disciplines, generations and backgrounds.”
